INTRODUCTION The US-Mexico region is at high risk of elevated tuberculosis (TB) incidence due to mobility and migration. Knowledge of how socio-demographic factors varies geographically, provides clues to understanding the determinants of tuberculosis and may provide guidance for regional prevention and control strategies to improve public health in Mexico. The aim of the present study was to describe the epidemiologic characteristics and spatial patterns of the incidence of tuberculosis in Tonala, Jalisco (Mexico) from 2013-2015. METHODOLOGY The Surveillance System Database from the Health Department, complemented by information from the National Institute of Statistics and Geography, was used to obtain data for a spatial-temporal analysis of TB cases. For the geographical analysis map creation and geoinformation storing, ArcGIS software was used. RESULTS This study sought to characterize problem areas and jurisdictional locations of TB via a spatial approach based on analyses of case distributions and individual patient variables. The study found that tuberculosis cases were dispersed throughout Tonala County and were mainly concentrated on the Guadalajara city border. The TB cases were mainly individuals between 31 and 45 years old. Most of the cases reported during the observation period were male patients, and most cases primarily had lung involvement; however, there were quite a few cases with lymph node and intestinal disease. CONCLUSION Our findings show that TB cases are essentially located in areas close to the city of Guadalajara and that most TB cases were pulmonary cases spread throughout the whole jurisdiction. Copyright (c) 2020 Alejandro Escobar-Gutierrez, Armando Martinez-Guarneros, Gustavo Mora-Aguilera, Carlos Arturo Vazquez-Chacon, Gerardo Acevedo-Sanchez, Manuel Sandoval-Díaz, Juan Carlos Villanueva-Arias, Natividad Ayala-Chavira, Maria Elena Vargas-Amado, Ikuri Alvarez-Maya.INTRODUCTION Chagas disease (CD) remains a public health concern in several Latin American countries. At global level, Bolivia has the highest CD burden and the Chaco region, in the southeast of the country, is the most affected area. We report the results of four serosurveys for Trypanosoma cruzi antibodies, carried out approximately ten years apart from each other, during the lapse 1987-2013, in different localities of the Bolivian Chaco. METHODOLOGY Four cross-sectional surveys were conducted in various localities, mostly rural, of the Bolivian Chaco, during the period 1987-2013. RESULTS Although a reliable analysis of CD epidemiological trend is challenging, a partial reduction of anti-T. cruzi seroprevalence over the past four decades in the Bolivian Chaco may be assumed. In particular, in 1987 the exposure to T. cruzi in rural setting was universal since the first years of life, while it resulted gradually lower and age-dependent thereafter. Moreover, T. cruzi seroprevalence among women of reproductive age (15-45 years) has been persistently high in rural areas. CONCLUSIONS T. cruzi transmission is still active and CD remains a concern throughout the Bolivian Chaco. More efforts are needed in order to achieve a sustainable interruption of vector-borne CD transmission in this area. Copyright (c) 2020 Michele Spinicci, Simona Gabrielli, David Rojo, Herlan Gamboa, Fabio Macchioni, Antonia Mantella, Yunni Lara, Ana Liz Villagrán, Mimmo Roselli, Marianne Strohmeyer, Claudia Cinelli, Giampaolo Corti, Filippo Bartalesi, Roberto Vargas, Adolfo Vedia, Paul Castellanos, Joaquín Monasterio, Gabriella Cancrini, Alessandro Bartoloni.INTRODUCTION Camel trade in Egypt depends mainly on importation. Seemingly healthy imported camels are responsible for the ingress of serious diseases into Egypt. A striking example of this concerning public health globally is the Middle East respiratory coronavirus (MERS-CoV) which causes case fatalities of over 34%. Here, we determined the seroepidemiological situation of the MERS-CoV in imported camels and their traders in Upper Egypt. METHODOLOGY Sera of sixty-three dromedaries and twenty-eight camel traders were recruited (January 2015-December 2016). The age, gender, and sampling locality of each sampled camel and human were obtained. Semi-quantitative anti-MERS-CoV IgG ELISAs which utilize the purified spike protein domain S1 antigen of MERS coronavirus (MERS-CoV S1) were used to detect specific IgG antibodies against the virus. RESULTS The data showed that 58.73% of imported camels and 25% of traders had antibodies specific to MERS-CoV. Interestingly, like seroreactive camels, all seropositive humans were apparently healthy without any history of developing severe respiratory disease in the 14 days prior to sampling. Having specific antibodies among the examined camel sera was significantly different (P less then 0.0001) in relation to various sampling localities, gender and age groups. In contrast, the seropositivity rate of MERS-CoV IgG in humans did not differ significantly by any of the studied factors. CONCLUSIONS The current study provides the first serological evidence of occupational exposure of humans to MERS-CoV in Africa. Additionally, it reports that imported camels could be implicated in introducing MERS-CoV into Egypt. Accordingly, application of strict control measures to camel importation is a priority. Copyright (c) 2020 Amal Sayed, Safaa Malek, Mostafa Abushahba.INTRODUCTION Microbial translocation (MT) markers are indicators of HIV-related immune activation, but reference values are mostly derived from European or North American populations and could be substantially different in populations living in developing countries. https://www.selleckchem.com/products/ad80.html Here we evaluate possible differences in MT markers levels in HIV+ pregnant women of different geographical provenance. METHODOLOGY This study is nested within an observational study of pregnant women with HIV in Italy. Women were dichotomized on the basis of provenance in two groups of European (n = 14) and African (n = 26) origin. Soluble CD14, lipopolysaccharide-binding protein (LBP) and intestinal-fatty acid binding protein (I-FABP) were measured in plasma samples collected between the first and second trimester of pregnancy. RESULTS Demographic and viroimmunological characteristics were similar between groups, although European women were more commonly smokers and HCV-coinfected. Irrespective of origin, LBP plasma levels were positively correlated with I-FABP (r = 0.